Gift Guide for Cooks and Bakers

December 4, 2017 by Virginia 8 Comments

Happy National Cookie day! In honor of the day I thought I’d share some of my favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes, along with a gift guide for cooks and bakers in your life! I have to be honest, I am not a baker. But I sure love Christmas cookies, and at Christmastime I love sitting at the dining room table decorating Christmas cookies. In the hustle and bustle of Christmas, it’s just nice to listen to some Christmas music and focus on creativity for awhile!

You can see my Christmas cookie spread from last year down below! Though I am not a baking expert, my mom is! She is the one who has the tried and true recipes for cookies. Since these are her recipes, I called her up yesterday and made sure it was ok to share!

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Gramma Moulton’s Sugar Cookie Recipe

I love this Christmas cookie recipe because they’re soft rather than crunchy. You just have to take my word for it and try them!

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1 egg
½ cup shortening
¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
½ cup sour milk (add 1 Tbsp vinegar to sweet milk)
1-2 teaspoons Vanilla (extract of choice)
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 heaping cups flour

Directions:

Cream sugar, egg and shortening.
Add milk and vanilla, and mix.
Fold in baking soda, baking powder and flour. Mix until smooth soft dough.
Can chill or roll out on well-floured area to ¼ inch.
Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Eat plain or decorated.

Makes 3 dozen.

Mom’s Gingerbread Recipe

Ingredients:

8 Tablespoons sweet butter softened (not melted)
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg beaten
1 cup molasses
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

With a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and molasses.
Sift the flour, ginger, cloves and chili powder.
Using wooden spoon, gradually combine the ingredients to make a stiff dough.
Turn out onto lightly-floured work surface. Knead lightly until smooth.
Wrap with saran wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Roll out ¼ inch thick and cut out cookies. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
Ice with Royal Icing

Gift Guide for Cooks and Bakers

So now, what should you get your favorite cook or baker for Christmas? I still stand by my recommendations for Cooks from last year. My immersion blender gets used all the time! I now think it’s a must-have for any kitchen. You’d be surprised how much you can use it! If I was picking one this year I would recommend this one because it has even more awesome attachments!

I would add these items to my gift guide for cooks and bakers:

A baking mat that rolls flat is a great gift for any baker. This jumbo one looks good too!
This pizza cutter is great for pizza, but also for cookie and baking creations!
A good-quality rolling pin that is easy to clean and put away is another important kitchen staple according to my mom. For the kitchen guru who has everything, maybe try this rolling pin! It’s got depth adjustment so you can roll to the perfect thickness! Plus, how pretty is this one!?
I am seriously obsessed with this handy tool in the kitchen. I got one for Christmas last year and now I want one in every room in my house! While I’m stirring pots I ask Alexa measuring conversions, to set a timer, to play a Pandora station, or to do the math for me to split a recipe in half! I can even make a call on it, drop in on another room with an echo dot (Honey, it’s time for dinner!) and turn the heat down! If you haven’t tried one, they are on sale so frequently during the holiday season that it would make a fun gift to try out!
Another gift I got last year was a Triple kitchen timer and it has been SO useful!
I think every kitchen needs a few of these. I keep these above my stove so I can just grab and use rather than digging through the cupboard to find the oils.
Metal Turners and Spatulas work well for lifting cookies of the cookie sheet. My mom loves metal ones with wood handles.
I have been hearing so much about these air fryers. I’d love to try one!

Another item my mom says she likes to have on hand is a set of shakers to add whatever you need: cocoa, powdered sugar, etc.

What do you have on your list for your favorite cook or baker? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

-Virginia

Linking up with: Glass of Glam | Sincerely Jenna Marie | More Pieces of Me | Pumps & Pushups

Getting in the Mood for Thanksgiving

November 13, 2017 by Virginia 8 Comments

I have been getting in the mood for Thanksgiving, how about you? I love the holiday season. Is it more rushed than the rest of the year? Yes. Is it stressful at times? Yes. But you know what else? It’s one of those times of year that just makes me feel happy. We emphasize warmth, coziness, comfort, and family, all things I need when my work life gets crazy.

I’ve been working some very late nights lately and yet, snuggled up with all my favorite fall things, I still feel happy! Today I want to share some ways you can get in the mood for Thanksgiving in your home. Having a warm, cozy home helps me balance out the stress from this time of year and maybe it will help you too!

There are a few crucial elements that make my home cozy when I’m getting in the mood for Thanksgiving.

Cozy Elements

Pillow Covers

There’s just something about adding fall color to your home that helps up-the-cozy-factor. When we moved into our house last year I bought these pillow inserts (they’re SUPER comfy and totally affordable). That way I can change out the covers for each season rather than having to switch out the entire pillow and find a place to store it. The only challenge has been finding affordable pillow covers that fit. Jane is my favorite place for affordable pillow covers but they are almost always made to fit 18″ x 18″ pillows.

Other than Jane, my favorite places for pillow covers are H&M Home, Ikea and Etsy.

Here are my recommendations for 20 x 20 pillows for fall from the image above: (Links updated 10/2018)

Under $20: Similar Faux Fur 1 | White Quilted (similar) | Faux Fur 2
Under $15: Jacquard Weave 1 & 2 | Faux Fur | Quilted White | Jacquard-Weave
Under $10 Velvet: Orange | Golden (more HERE) | Green, Purple + 10 other colors
Under $10: Patterned Orange and Charcoal | Red-Orange Linen | 12 color Canvas

Oh! And I love this one for under $20! So cute for both fall and winter!

Faux Fur Blankets

Every fall, I pull out my trusty brown faux fur throw from Threshold. It was the best birthday present ever and three years later, it’s still in great shape. They no longer make the same style but mine looks almost exactly like this one, at a better price. Threshold makes a great, affordable faux fur throw. I own this one and love it too. This brown one and this one are both similar to the one I own and would make great throws to cozy up your living room!

Fall Scents

Candles

When I’m wrapped up on my couch in my perfect faux fur blanket, I always have a candle burning. Great scents calm me down and make me feel like I’m at the spa rather than grading or planning. Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles are my favorite. They last longer than most other candles and smell amazing. I kid you not, when I lit this candle last, the scent stayed for 2 days! Plus, they give a warm, flickering glow. I never buy these candles for full price. Sign up for the Bath and Body Works email list and wait until they are $12, then buy with a 20% off or more coupon.

Autumn is my absolute favorite candle scent of all time. It leaves the room smelling bright and fresh.
Leaves is the perfect spicy scent and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin is very like it, but with a deeper, richer scent.
Finally, this one is the perfect complement for any of the above to burn in a different room, on its own, or to carry over between the Thanksgiving to the Christmas season. I wasn’t sure I would like it but it has really grown on me! It smells exactly like its name!

Beauty Products

Finally, it’s been awhile since I’ve mentioned anything from my Glossybox subscription boxes, but I’ve had a few items recently that just give me the perfect fall scent! Both my husband and I are obsessed with this shower gel (also here). The foam is so silky and soft and the scent fills that whole area of the house with a wonderful orangey-spicy scent. It’s perfect for fall and winter!

Then, this red lip glaze is amazing! Not only is the color vibrant and gorgeous, but it has the most wonderful spicy scent (similar to the shower gel above). You can see me wearing it here.

Thanksgiving/Fall Food!

Ok, so this one might not be for everyone, but for me…part of getting in the mood for Thanksgiving is starting to think about the foods of thanksgiving. Last year I shared some of my favorite thanksgiving recipes. This year I want to share some of the easy recipes we’ve made to get in the mood.

What are your favorite ways to get in the mood for Thanksgiving? Let me know in the comments below!

-Virginia

Back to School Prep and Free Printable Lunch Box Notes!

August 28, 2017 by Virginia 9 Comments

Hello friends, I have some super-exciting news! Last week was the week of accomplishments! First, I finished up our downstairs unit and we passed our lead inspection! We are ready for renters and I am ready to lay down my paintbrush and power tools for awhile! Yay! The inspector rescheduled for a day earlier than we were expecting him and that caused quite a bit of panic. But, I busted my hump and finished 5 minutes before he got there! Talk about a close call!

Second, after a year of substitute teaching, I had an interview this week and was offered a position teaching US History and Consumer Economics at the high school five minutes from my house! I am beyond excited. Moving was hard last year because I left a school I had been teaching at for ten years and struggled to find a job in my new state. But, next week it’s back to school for me! So, now I am really seriously gearing with back to school prep!

Teachers, I see so many posts out there about how to prepare your kids to return to school, but what about us, huh? What supplies do teachers need heading back to school and what lunch back to school prep can you start now? Today I’m sharing my Back to School Prep for Teachers!

First, we need basic supplies too! Here’s what’s on my list this year (and almost every year).

Teacher Back To School Prep: Supply List

Post-It Notes – Seriously, I use these on everything from notes to myself to checklists for grading and sort games for my students. These are a MUST HAVE (preferably in TONS of colors!). Can we all just take a moment to gaze lovingly at these babies?! I’m totally seeing the ability to separate stacks of grading by class and list on there what I need to do with each stack!

Pens – Each of us has our own favorites. I am obsessed with these because they’re very inky and write so smoothly!

Binder Clips – These things are golden.For some people, folders work really well. For me, even within folders I find I need to clip things together and most of the time paper-clips aren’t large enough to clip all my grading (*sigh*). Enter binder clips. These are my faves. These look adorable!

File Jackets – This is one of those odd things that I love that I have to replace every few years. I staple them to my walls/bulletin boards and use them to hold folders of worksheets and things I’ll need in the lesson. I hate when my front table gets cluttered up so this is a way that I organize.

Pastel Cardstock – Why pastel cardstock? I use this for signs, name cards, station numbers and plickers (seriously…check them out) so it’s better for me to have a lighter color so that printed or written materials are able to show up against the color.

Now…the rest of these are not purchases I make every year but are things I have learned that I need to have for school.

A solid bag to tote home grading – It must be wide enough to hold a lot of “stuff” but have pockets for charging chord, pens and pencils, and mouse. Super cute | Can fit so much!

Desk Lamp – Classroom lighting is often not good enough when I’m grading. My desk lamp is a must-have 1) so the nice, bright light can keep me awake and 2) to see better while I’m grading (it helps to decipher that illegible scrawl that I have to read daily!)

Phone charger – this is a new one for me. I actually don’t have one, but I’m looking for one! As educational apps become more significant (these are my favorites! Kahoot | Plickers ), I find I use my phone a lot more during the day. I don’t always have an outlet close to my desk and don’t want the chord to hang across a walk-way. So, a phone charger it is!

Teacher Back to School Prep: Lunch and Dinner

One of the best decisions I have made in recent years when it comes to balancing out my life is to use a meal-plan service. I have written about my favorite before (here), and I have tried many options. Cooksmarts is my absolute favorite. I pick the meals I want for the week, whether I want a vegetarian, paleo or regular option (great for my husband and I since he is vegetarian and we tend to eat Paleo for more protein and fewer carbs), and it generates a grocery list based on the choices I made. It doesn’t get rid of the need for grocery shopping but it saves SO much time. I don’t have to search through cookbooks or make sure that I am using similar ingredients (rather than that 1/2 an onion that just doesn’t get used). So, make a smart choice this school year and save yourself some time with a meal plan. Then you can spend more time with your family and less time planning meals! (note: This is not sponsored. I just LOVE this service.)

Now…lunches. Since I use a meal plan for dinner, I often want to use the leftovers for dinner the next night. That means I either need to make a little more to give myself leftovers for lunch the next day or, as I eventually chose, I need to find another option for lunches.

My absolute favorite school lunch is mason jar salads. There are a TON of recipes on Pinterest. I gather everything together on Sunday evening and make my lunches for the week! All I have to do each day is dump the salad into my handy bowl and enjoy! This means no worrying throughout the week over what I’m going to eat! The mason jar keeps the salad crisp all the way until Friday! No joke! They’re amazing! Plus, it’s a really easy way for me to stay on budget and eat healthy.

Teacher Back To School Prep: Teacher Lunch Box Notes

Now, as I wrap this up I have something fun for you! One thing I have seen a lot of when it comes to school lunches is that apparently it’s a thing to send a little note in the lunch bag! I didn’t even know that was a thing! As I read down through printable options I thought to myself…you know, maybe the teacher needs a little pick-me-up throughout the day! One of my former colleagues was always telling me, “You’re not gypping them” and I needed to hear it. So, I give you: Free Printable Lunch Box Notes for the Teacher.

Now, these are made to be printed on post-it notes because…come on, we all know teachers are a little obsessed with office supplies. It just makes sense! So, if you want to print your own pick-me-up, or have a spouse who teaches, get the free printable Teacher Lunch Notes here!

What do you think? What’s on your supply list for back to school prep? And even more important, what message would you like to read in your teacher lunch box?

Please forgive the length of this post! I missed both posts last week so I had a lot to say! Thanks so much for visiting! You are appreciated!

-Virginia